Public awareness and participation

The Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety,

Recalling Article
23 of the Protocol on public awareness and participation,

Emphasizing the importance of public awareness, education and participation in
promoting transparency, public confidence and broad-based support for the
effective implementation of the Protocol,

Underlining the importance of making the information concerning the safe transfer,
handling and use of living modified organisms available to different stakeholders
in comprehensible formats and adapting awareness materials to local languages
and situations,

Emphasizing the need for cooperative efforts to promote education and public awareness
to increase the knowledge and understanding concerning the safe transfer,
handling and use of living modified organisms,

1. Takes note of the options
for facilitating cooperation of Parties with other States and relevant international
bodies in the promotion of public awareness, education and participation concerning
the safe transfer, handling and use of living modified organisms contained
in the note by the Executive Secretary on options for cooperation of
Parties with other States and international bodies on the promotion and facilitation
of public awareness, education and participation concerning living modified
organisms (UNEP/CBD/BS/COP-MOP/2/13) prepared for the second
meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties
to the Protocol;

2. Encourages Parties and
other States, as part of their efforts in implementing Article 23, paragraph 1 (a),
to seek and leverage opportunities for cooperation with other Parties, other
States and relevant international bodies at subregional, regional and international
levels, taking into account the options referred to in paragraph 1 above;

3. Urges Parties and other
States to develop and implement national programmes for public awareness,
education and participation, including public access to information, concerning
the safe transfer, handling and use of living modified organisms;

4. Invites the Global Environment
Facility, donors, other funding institutions and relevant international bodies
to provide financial and other support to developing country Parties, in particular
the least developed and small island developing States among them, as well
as Parties with economies in transition for the public awareness, education
and participation projects and activities concerning the safe transfer, handling
and use of living modified organisms;

5. Further invites Parties,
other States, and relevant international bodies to share, through the Biosafety
Information Resource Centre in the Biosafety Clearing-House, information,
awareness materials and case-studies about their ongoing initiatives
on public awareness, education and participation, including major accomplishments,
success stories, best practices and lessons learned as well as limitations
experienced;

6. Encourages Parties and
other States to make effective use of the media to promote public awareness
and education concerning the safe transfer, handling and use of living modified
organisms;

7. Urges Parties, other
Government and relevant international bodies to develop and support subregional
and regional public awareness and education initiatives concerning the safe
transfer, handling and use of living modified organisms, including through
educational systems and regional centres;

8. Reminds Parties and
other States to submit to the Biosafety Clearing-House information regarding
their capacity needs, gaps, programmes and priorities with respect to public
awareness, education and participation;

9. Encourages Parties,
other States and relevant international bodies to make effective use of the
tools and mechanisms established under the Global Initiative on Communication,
Education and Public Awareness (CEPA) under the Convention on Biological Diversity;

10. Invites Parties, other
States and relevant international bodies to include in their programmes for
implementing the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development
specific activities related to promoting public awareness, education and participation
concerning the safe transfer, handling and use of living modified organisms
in relation to the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity,
taking into account also risks to human health;

11. Invites Parties, other
States and concerned relevant international bodies
to explore and maximize opportunities for cooperation in the promotion
of public awareness, education and participation concerning living modified
organisms through the frameworks provided by related national and international
instruments, in particular the Aarhus Convention on Access to Information,
Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental
Matters;

12. Requests the Executive
Secretary to continue promoting public awareness and education on the Protocol,
including through the Protocol website, the outreach strategy for the Cartagena
Protocol on Biosafety (UNEP/CBD/BS/COP-MOP/1/INF/16) as well as publications
such as a handbook reflecting developments in the Protocol process;

13. Decides to consider,
and review progress on the implementation of Article 23, paragraph 1 (a),
of the Protocol at its fifth meeting;

14. Further requests the
Executive Secretary to prepare, on the basis of the submissions made in accordance
with paragraph 5 above, a synthesis report on the status of implementation
of Article 23, paragraph 1 (a), of the Protocol for consideration
by the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to
the Protocol at its fifth meeting.